Ten Great Vows

Part 3 of the Gandavyuha Sutra, the last chapter of Avatamsaka Sutra

The Bhadracari presents the Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

After praising the excellent virtues of the Tathagata, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva spoke the following words to the assembly :

The virtues of the Tathagata are so great that nobody – however long and however incessantly they may talk about them – even begins to describe them adequately, and if you wish to perfect these virtues yourself you must practice the following ten great vows.

1st Vow

With purity of body, speech, and mind, I vow to pay homage and respect to all the heroic Buddhas of the past, present, and future in every world throughout the ten directions of space.

“By the vow to pay reverence to all the Buddhas is meant this: There is an inconceivable number of Buddha lands filling up the ten quarters of the earth; and there is an inconceivable number of Buddhas residing in these innumerable Buddha-lands through the three divisions of time. And because of the virtue of Samantabhadra’s life of vows a deep faith is awakened in a Bodhisattva’s heart, and he will feel as if he were in the presence of all these Buddhas, whom he will salute with his body, speech and mind that are pure; and dividing his one body into as many bodies as there are Buddhas in these innumerable Buddha-lands – innumerable as atoms, composing the worlds, he will salute every one of them; he will not feel fatigued in doing so till the end of the universe.”

2nd Vow

I shall conceive each atom of the entire realm of truth to be completely filled with Buddhas, each of whom is surrounded by numerous Bodhisattvas. I shall praise all of these bliss-filled lords with the melodious sounds of an ocean of endless praise. In one mote of dust are lands as numerous as motes of dust; In each land are incalculable numbers of Buddhas. In every place where Buddhas dwell I see the host assembled, endlessly proclaiming all the practices of Bodhi.

“The number of the Buddha-lands filling up the entire extent of the universe and the three divisions of time is as numberless as that of atoms composing the earth, and in each one of these numberless Buddha-lands there is again as innumerable a number of Buddhas as that of atoms composing the earth. The Buddha is found surrounded by an ocean of Bodhisattvas in every one of these Buddha-lands, and a Bodhisattva will present himself before each one of these Buddhas with a deep understanding and a clear perception… and the praising will go on without cessation till the end of the world and as long as there is a being in existence, and yet a Bodhisattva will never feel tired of his work.”

3rd Vow

To the victorious Buddhas I shall make abundant offerings of rare flowers, garlands, musical instruments, the finest robes, scented oils, beautiful parasols, the best of lamps and sweet smelling fragrances that are piled as high as Mount Meru.

However, the best offering that one could possibly make to a Buddha “…is that of the Dharma, which is to say, disciplining oneself according to the teaching, benefiting all beings, accepting all beings, suffering pains for all beings, nurturing every root of goodness, carrying out all the works of a Bodhisattva, and at the same time not keeping himself away from the thought of enlightenment.”

4th Vow

I shall confess every misdeed and wrongful action that I have ever committed in thought, word, or deed due to passion, aggression, or ignorance.

“Whatever sins committed by me, they are due to my greed, anger, and folly, and done with my body, speech and mind. Of all these I now make a full confession and repent.”

5th Vow

I shall rejoice in all the virtues and meritorious deeds of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all sentient beings past and present throughout the ten directions.

6th Vow

I shall ask that the Enlightened Ones of the ten directions, who have awakened to awareness, who have attained the detachment of Buddhahood, and who have set forth the Path, to turn the Wheel of the Dharma.

7th Vow

I shall beseech the Buddhas to forego parinirvana and remain in the world for as many eons as there are atoms in all the pure lands in order to give benefit and joy to all living beings.

8th Vow

I vow to follow the teachings of the Buddha at all times like a lotus that is unblemished by water, and like the heavenly orbs of the sun and moon, whose movement is unhindered by the sky.

9th Vow

I vow to ever act for the benefit, joy and liberation of all living beings throughout all the regions.

“In this universe, life manifests itself in innumerable forms, each one differing from another in the way of its birth, in form, in the duration of life, in name, in mental disposition, in intelligence, in aspiration, in demeanor, in garment, in food, in social life, in the mode of dwelling….” However different they may be, the Bodhisattva vows to live in accordance with their laws in order to serve them, to minister to their needs, to revere them as his parents, his elders, his teachers…and even the Buddhas, making no distinction among them. “If they are sick, he will be to them a good physician; if they go astray he will sow them the right path; if they are sunk in poverty he will supply them with a treasure; thus uniformly giving benefits to all beings according to their needs.”

“Why is this? If a Bodhisattva accords with living beings, then he accords with and makes offerings to all Buddhas. If he can honor and serve living beings, then he honors and serves the Buddhas. If he makes living beings happy, he is making all Buddhas happy. Why is this? It is because all Buddhas take the mind of Great Compassion as their substance. Because of living beings, they develop Great Compassion. From Great Compassion the Bodhi Mind is born; and because of the Bodhi Mind, they accomplish Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment. It is like a great regal tree growing in the rocks and sand of barren wilderness. When the roots get water, the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits will all flourish. The regal bodhi-tree growing in the wilderness of birth and Death is the same. All living beings are its roots; all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are its flowers and fruits. By benefiting all beings with the water of Great Compassion, one can realize the flowers and fruits of the Bodhisattva’s and the Buddha’s wisdom. Why is this? It is because by benefiting living beings with the water of Great Compassion, the Bodhisattvas can attain Supreme Perfect Enlightenment. Therefore, Bodhi belongs to living beings. Without living beings, no Bodhisattva could achieve Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment.”

10th Vow

I dedicate all my activities that they might be the same as those performed by all those who practice as All-Pervasive Richness, foremost of the Children of the Outshining.

Whatever merits that the Bodhisattva acquires through the performance of the actions described in the other nine vows “…will all be turned over to the benefit of all beings filling up this entire universe…. If there be any beings who are suffering the results of their evil karma committed in the past, the Bodhisattva will be ready to sacrifice himself and bear all the pains for the miserable creatures in order to release them from karma and finally make them realize supreme enlightenment.”

“These are the ten, and in the execution of them, a Bodhisattva will now know when to get rested from his work, for it will have to continue as long as there is space extending in the ten quarters, as long as there is one being left in the universe to be saved, as long as there is one evil desire to be destroyed, a Bodhisattva thus will work incessantly, continuously, without interruption, with his body, speech and mind, to the very end of the world.”

Summary

Ten Great Vows

1. To venerate all Buddhas.
2. To make praises to the infinite number of Buddhas.
3. To make offerings to buddhas, the most meaningful offering is to practice the Buddhist teachings so as to benefit oneself and others.
4. To repent and reform all karmic hindrance, accumulated from our thoughts, words, or actions throughout our past reincarnations.
5. To rejoice and join other’s merit and virtue.
6. To pray that the Dharma wheel (Buddha’s teachings) will be turned (passed on).
7. To petition that the Buddhas remain in the world to benefit more people.
8. To always follow the Buddha’s path (teachings) in order to attain enlightenment.
9. To live harmoniously with all living beings. I.e., to respect all sorts of beings, and be as attentive to them as he would to his own parents or even to the Buddhas.
10. To reflex all accumulating merits and virtue back to all living beings for their salvation.

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